Absolute Structure Determination

Although elucidation of chemical connectivity by X-ray crystallography presents little problem, identification of a specific enantiomer may be ambiguous, particularly in the case of light-atom structures. This is unfortunate because this information is frequently of critical importance. Drug molecules, for example, may be active as one enantiomer, but inactive or even harmful in the opposite hand. There are stringent legal requirements that the absolute structure of a new drug (and other industrial chemicals) is properly characterised before it can be licensed. There is thus a pressing need for a reliable means of identifying the hand of a chiral molecule. We are developing methods which enable precise absolute structure information.